Malaysians Tend To Lose Their Passports In Bangkok And It’s Not Because Of Snatch Thieves
124 missing passport cases were reported last year.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 15 Oct 2018, 07:42 PM
Thailand has been named as the top country where Malaysians tend to lose their passports, with a total of 124 cases last year
Additionally, the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok has already received 87 reports of missing passports as of September this year, according to Bernama.
The report, which was published yesterday, 14 October, also noted that Thailand is one of the major tourist destinations for Malaysians with 3.3 million of them having holidayed in Thailand last year.
The Embassy shared that 90% of the cases happened in major shopping areas in Bangkok city
"[M]ost of the incidents happened in Pratunam, a popular open shopping area in the heart of Bangkok city. Losing passports also happened in Chatuchak (famous weekly market)," an embassy source told Bernama, reported Malay Mail.
Malaysians are likely too focused on their shopping activities, resulting in them losing their passports, the source said.
It has been identified that negligence was the main cause of the lost passports
"Malaysians do not consider their passports as a very important document, that is why they don’t take care of their passports properly. They put their passports where it's so easy for them to go missing or be stolen," the source said.
Additionally, the Embassy source advised Malaysians to treat their passports as their "second life" each time they go abroad.